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UNITED STATES` PATENT GFETCE.

HENRY c. BOWEN, E NEW Yoax, N. Y.

APPARATUS FDR INDICATING THE ACTION 0F WATER-GAS RETORTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 224,865, dated February 24, 1880.

Application filed November 18, 1879.

` the city, county,iand State of New York, have tamin ation of the gas.

invented a new and Improved Apparatus for Indicating the Action of WaterGas Retorts,

of `which the following is a specification.`

`Figure l represents a sectional elevation of i a retort with attached apparatus. Fig. 2 is a sectional` side elevation of the apparatus.

Similar Vletters of reference indicate `corresponding parts. i

The object of this invention is to provide a means for determining the action and eect of steam in the retorts when manufacturinglwater-gas.

In. the manufacture of water-gas the method heretofore in general use is to charge a retort or generator with coal,"` then bring it to a state of ineandescence by driving air through the saine, then to shutoff the air and force steam g provided with a brick lining, a, the shell of the retort being preferablyof iron and made through the said incandescent mass of coal. At this high temperature the incandescent carbon decomposes the steam, forming carbonio acid and hydrogen, and the carbonic acid, as 1t passes farther through the mass, is itself decomposed or robbed of one equivalent of oxygen by the carbon to form carbonio oxide. The commingled carbonic oxide and hydrogen then constitute the base ofthe watergas, and pass out of the generator, to be subsequently carbureted by passage through a hydrocarbon, and then fixed to form a stable gas by being heated in a separate set of retorts.

In the manufacture of this mixture of carbonic oxide and hydrogen certain incidental conditions are likely to intervene, which i11- volve a waste of fuel, loss of steam, and a con- In the rst place, in the alternate heating of the coal by air and introductionof steam after the steam has been on for a While, it reduces the temperature of the coal, so that the coal has not sufficient aftinity to decompose the carbonic acid, and hence the water-gas is contaminated with this dead gas, which can only be gotten out at great expense of subsequent purification. Furthermore, the brick lining of the retort is liable to `become cracked or loose from the outer case, and thus give passage to the steam without allowing it to be decomposed into carbonic oxide. Again, clinkers on the side of the retort may form, which giveslarge interstices for the passage i stices.

of the steam and involves the same objection, or large lumps of coal may lodge against the side ofthe retort, and thus leave large inter- Any one of these conditions is likely to allow steam to pass over with the gas, and also to contaminate thcgas by carbonic acid.

The object of my invention is to provide means for enabling the operator to detect at l any time this passage of undecomposed steam4 along with the carbonic oxide and hydrogen; i

and to this .end it consists in connecting with the discharge-pipe which carries off the said watengases a steam-condenser, whereby the condensation of steam in a cloud or its presence in condensed drops may be quickly observed, and the conditions of the retort imjmediately changed to prevent a continuance of the same, and save not only a waste of fuel, but the expense of purification.

In the drawings, A represents a gas-retort gas-tight. B is the air-inlet; C, the steam-inlet; '1), the ash-pit, E, the grate-bars; F, the charging-hole, which is kept closed except when charging coal into the retort. G is the pipe that conducts the gas from the retort A to the holder. H is a pipe that is kept open (the pipe G being closed meanwhile) until the coal in the retort is in a proper state of combustion for the introduction of steam thereto. I is a pipe tapped into the gaspipe G, and led off to any convenient place to conduct a portion of the products of combustion from the retort A to the steam-condenser K, which condenser K is closed at both ends and provided with a drip-hole, b, at its lower end. i

In practice Iyhave found that a glass cylinder possesses advantages over other devices tried by me, for the reasons that by its use the presence of steam in the gas `can be more quickly determined.

Metallic cylinders or boxes, or plates of glass, metal, or other hard smooth substance of good conductive power, upon which steam will quickly condense, may, with greater or lesser success, be substituted for the glass cylinder 4,herein shown, in which case the drip from the cylinder would serve to give the indic'ations; but for the reasons before stated I prefer the glass cylinder.

In the manufacture of water-gas, the coal in IOO the retort A is brought into a high state of ignition by a blast of air introduced through the air-inlet B, the pipe H being kept open the meanwhile and the pipe G closed. Thenthe pipe H is closed and G opened, and the inlet B also closed, and steam then forced into the retort A through the inlet C. The cock in the pipe I is then opened, so that gas may pass into the vessel K.

Should the coal in the retortAbeina proper state of ignition, the brick lining tight, and the supply of steam not in excess, none of the phenomena of condensation appear in the vessel K on the introduction of the gas therein, andl hence it is held that the proper action between the steam and incandescent carbon is positively indicated and that all the conditions are right. As, however, the normal action progresses and the coal becomes cooled, the steam begins to pass through undecomposed, and as iis-appears at the condenser it gives evidence to the operator of the need for regenerating the coal by renewing the air-blast. If, on the contrary, the lining of the retort should break or crack, so that steam could escape between the lining and the shell of the retort, and thus pass around the coal instead of through it, the immediate appearance of steam in the vessel K would indicate the fact; or should clinkers accumulate in excess on the brick lining, and thereby attord large int-erstices and easy passages, through which a portion of the steam could ow Without passing through the burning coal, steam would appear in the test.

If the temperature ofthe coal be too loW, or the supply of steam in excess, or if leaks occur in the brick lining-and these conditions or some of them are of' almost constant occurrence in the manufacture of Water-gas-v-there is certain attendant waste'and expense; and where hundreds of tons of coal are used daily, as in some large gas-works, this waste and eX- pense becomes enormous. Without this test, this method of control, these causes of waste cannot be ascertained or determined in time for prompt remedy, nor'indeed can the fact itself that waste is occurring be learned until it has reached alarming proportions. When, for instance, the brick lining of a retort breaks, tons of coal may be burned up Without making gas, while the steam that should pass through the coal is escaping between the lining and shell of the retort, and when anumber of retorrs are working into the same holder this waste may continue for a long time without being discovered.

By the method and apparatus herein shown enerator ot' a steam condenser or indicator' g 7 connecting with the discharge-pipe of the generator, which carries ott' the Water-gas, for the purpose of indicating the passage of undecomposed steam, substantially as described.

' HENRY C. BOWEN. Witnesses:

I. I. STORER, C. SEDGWIGK. 

